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Trans Activist Files Lawsuit Against SVSU PAGE 9

Our Guide to the Best LGBT Events PAGE 19

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APRIL 28, 2016

VOL. 2417 | FREE

Beyond the it u s ck a r T TALES FROM

JANE LYNCH CHATS BEFORE CABARET SHOW IN ANN ARBOR

BTL | April 28, 2016

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ON THE PRESIDENTIAL TRAIL

NATIONAL IMPACT

COVER STORY 14 Jane Lynch: Beyond the tracksuit

NEWS 4 Local news briefs 6 White House meets with MI LGBT advocates 8 What’s the big fuss about the 4th Circuit trans decision? 9 Trans activist files lawsuit against SVSU 12 Recap: New York Primary

New York Primary Recap: Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump edge closer

What’s the big fuss about the Fourth Circuit decision? See page 8

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CREEP OF THE WEEK

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OPINION 10 Parting Glances 10 Viewpoint: Important victory for trans student rights 11 Creep of the Week: Louie Gohmert

LIFE 16 Cool Cities: Ann Arbor 19 Happenings 20 Classifieds 21 Deep Inside Hollywood 22 Puzzle and comic

The crux of Louie Gohmert’s complaint, and really the entire argument in favor of the bathroom police laws being proposed across the country, is who gets to define what a man or a woman is? Target thinks it should be up to the individual person. Gohmert thinks it should be him.

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April 28, 2016 | BTL

NEWS Republicans Author Bill To Repeal the State Board of Education LANSING – For the last two months, the state has been debating LGBT youth guidelines for K-12 schools authored by the Board of Education. The completely optional set of guidelines – which suggests schools allow trans and gender non-conforming students to use the bathroom and names of their choice, manifest and support a GayStraight Alliance and much more – would create a more welcoming environment for trans and gender nonconforming youth in Michigan public schools. However, Republican lawmakers in the state are so vehemently against the idea that they have authored a bill that would replace the Board of Education with a Department of Education run by a governor-appointed director. Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, introduced a joint resolution April 19 that seeks to amend sections three and seven of article VIII of the Michigan Constitution. If passed, House Joint Resolution would eliminate the state Board of Education, superintendent of public instruction and state board for public community and junior colleges. The resolution also states that the governor would appoint a director of a state department of education who would be the principal executive officer of the state department of education. Kelly told the Detroit Free Press that he doesn’t anticipate his bill moving forward – since it would need two-thirds support from fellow House members – and introduced the bill to send a message to the state board. “We want to remind the board that we do hold the purse strings. Don’t overstep what

you think is your authority to do whatever you want,” Kelly told the Free Press. “I’m tired of their practicing social engineering with every progressive agenda that comes down the pike,” Kelly continued. This is not the first attempt to eliminate the board. John Austin, president of the state board, noted that there have been multiple attempts, but it would ultimately take a constitutional amendment for it to happen. Republican lawmakers told Michigan Public Radio that the proposal is an attempt to push a progressive agenda on schools without consulting the Legislature. However, the set of guidelines are not mandated, and are merely inclusive suggestions for schools to follow. According to a 2013 report from the Education Commission of the States, Michigan is just one of seven states that elects its state board members. HJR-HH has 31 Republican sponsors including Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Bay City, who also serves as the president of the Michigan chapter of the American Family Association and played a pivotal role in 2004 when a majority of Michigan voters cast their ballot in favor of the Michigan Marriage Act, defining marriage as between a man and a woman. The proposal is just one of many Republican measures being introduced in the state to mandate bathroom use. Earlier this month, state Sen. Tom Casperson announced that he will introduce a bill requiring Michigan students to “only use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their birth” sex. As of press time, Casperson had yet to introduce his bill.

Ferndale School Board of Education Passes LGBT Inclusive Policy FERNDALE – The Ferndale Schools Board of Education passed a resolution in support of the state board LGBT youth guidelines that would allow transgender and gender non-conforming students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender. The Ferndale Schools Board of Education took a vote April 18 on two resolutions in support of LGBT youth rights and unanimously agreed to support the state guidelines for LGBT youth. “The Board of Education of Ferndale Public Schools fully supports the State Board of Education and the proposed guidelines designed to protect the safety and well-being of Michigan LGBTQ students,” Ferndale Schools Board of Education President Jennifer LaTosch told OaklandCounty115 before the vote. “Our own Strategic Plan is grounded in the values of trust, respect and inclusion which have guided us in working with and in support of our LGBTQ students and community members. The proposed state guidelines,

BTL | April 28, 2016

likewise, provide a framework and guidance to all Michigan districts in creating and maintaining a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students. This is a vital step in protecting the physical and emotional safety of our LGBTQ students. We do not tolerate these discriminatory laws enacted by the states of North Carolina or Mississippi, nor will we support an organization or entity that seeks to bring harm to the transgender community. These Resolutions will reaffirm our commitment to support LGBTQ youth, our pledge to speak out against discrimination in all forms, and our appeal to Michigan legislators to disavow similar measures that attempt to harm and marginalize the LGBTQ community.” The state board of education is accepting public comment on the Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for LGBTQ Students. To submit a public comment, visit everyvoicecountsmi. org.

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April 28, 2016 | BTL

NEWS Rallies Over N. Carolina LGBT Law Begin as Lawmakers Return BY GARY D. ROBERTSON AND JONATHAN DREW RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – A day of rallies at North Carolina's statehouse began Monday with the delivery of petitions signed by 180,000 people seeking the repeal of a law that curtails protections for LGBT people. About 200 people gathered on the grounds of the old Capitol building to hear speakers denounce the law known as House Bill 2, or HB2. They then carried two-dozen cardboard boxes of signatures into the Capitol for delivery to Gov. Pat McCrory. “HB2 ... is an act of violence,” Joaquin Carcano, a transgender man who's suing over the law, told the crowd. “Our privacy and safety matter too.” The head of the state NAACP, the Rev. William Barber, called the law “Hate Bill 2.” He said it affects the poor and minorities as well as the LGBT community, despite conservative efforts to depict it as a law focused on bathroom safety. “We make a mistake when we call it the ‘bathroom bill,’” he said. Protesters also plan a mass sit-in inside the Legislative Building later in the afternoon. North Carolina legislators are returning Monday night for their annual work session. Several House Democrats filed legislation earlier in the day to repeal the law, although Republican legislative leaders who approved it in a one-day special session last month have expressed no interest in overturning it. GOP lawmakers have focused their discussion of the law to provisions requiring transgender people to use multi-stall restrooms that align with their biological sex. Democratic Rep. Grier Martin of Raleigh, a bill sponsor, said the law has stained the reputation of the state and harmed it economically. Some companies have halted planned expansions because of the law, while many groups have canceled their scheduled conventions in the state. If the repeal were approved immediately, Martin told reporters, “it would not undo with the swipe of a pen the incredible damage that House Bill 2 has done to our economy. But it would stop the bleeding and put North Carolina back on the path of progress and moving forward.” After the morning's speakers at the rally, smaller groups of the law's opponent broke off to discuss plans for civil disobedience, including what charges they may face and how the bail process would work. Christian conservatives and other backers of the law scheduled a midday rally Monday on another nearby plaza.

BTL | April 28, 2016

White House Meets with Michigan LGBT Advocates BY AJ TRAGER DEARBORN – White House and federal officials met with LGBT advocates from across the state in an LGBT focused summit April 21 to discuss LGBT school policies, access to healthcare for trans Michiganders and access to capital for LGBT-owned small businesses. The Obama administration has been committed to ensuring that the LGBT community is not only represented by hiring LGBT members to administration staff but also uplifted by passing and supporting legislation that directly affects the lives of LGBT Americans. Key members of the president’s administration were joined by Equality Michigan and Ashlee Davis, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Nick Martin, U.S. Department of HHS; Jaan Williams, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Alejandro Aviles, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Lolita LGBT organizations from across Davis, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, LGBT liaison to the White House the state to discuss how federal addressing Michigan LGBT community leaders and activists in a 2016 White House LGBT Summit organized by Equality programs are actively working to Michigan. BTL Photo: AJ Trager provide full equality for LGBT people. in the past 40 years were hard won. They employment discrimination complaints, “As local activists it’s not always obvious required tremendous sacrifice and they did along with how to draft those charges. to us about what the federal government not happen without tears and uncertainty. I HUD helps many of the most marginalized does and how it impacts our lives. So today am mindful that there is still work required. people, especially trans youth experiencing I want you to get a chance to hear from folks We must continue to work together to create homelessness. Aviles explained how a 2012 directly, have deep conversations and come a more perfect union,” Raffi Freedman- change to allocating HUD funds ensured away with a real sense of what tools and Gurspan, LGBT liaison to the White House, that homeless shelters receiving federal opportunities are available on the federal said in her address presented at the summit. funds could not turn away or discriminate level that can apply and fuel your work Freedman-Gurspan was joined by Jaan against those in need based on their sexual at the local level,” Executive Director of Williams, U.S. Department of Health and orientation or gender identity. Equality Michigan Stephanie White said in Human Services (HHS); Ashlee Davis, U.S. HHS is working to update section 1557 her opening address to the gathering. Department of Agriculture; Nick Martin, of the Affordable Care Act, which would Michigan is experiencing a significant U.S. Department of HHS; Alejandro Aviles, provide further support and offer more amount of activity around the rights of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban expansive trans-related health care to LGBT youth and trans members of society. Development; and Lolita Davis, U.S. Equal those navigating the marketplace. The There has been debate over the completely Employment Opportunity Commission. All LGBT community is more likely than its optional set of LGBT guidelines for LGBT six of these representatives were personally heterosexual counterparts to be uninsured youth in K-12 schools, and state Sen. Tom appointed by the president. or underinsured. By working with national Casperson recently announced he will “From President Obama and from the partners and folks on the ground, HHS is introduce a bill to ensure that trans men and administration, there is the belief that closer to supporting all communities in the women use the bathroom that is contrary to people are policy. When you put people into healthcare system. their gender identity. positions where they can make change, who “Access to those communities and they are and where they’re coming from communities that experience higher rates of matters,” Williams said. tobacco use, sexual violence and HIV/AIDS Davis, an EEOC official, said that the is our main priority,” Martin said. A Q&A session was held after the panelists Michigan isn’t the only state experiencing commission was focused on addressing an onslaught of anti-LGBT legislation issues affecting LGBT communities. Title addressed the audience with specific changes and the comments that follow. At the VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states and updates to LGBT policies within their White House LGBT Summit, Obama that no person shall be discriminated against departments. One commenter asked how administration officials highlighted the fact based on their sex, but that is considered quickly the work that has been done by the that services and programs that receive sex discrimination. Davis explained that Obama administration can be undone by a federal funding are required to follow the the EEOC has worked with Affirmations, new president. the ACLU and other organizations in the “I cannot imagine how fast it would take mandates and statutes of federal law. “The accomplishments and progress made state to help LGBT Michigan residents file to rework what we have accomplished in our

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own workforce for the LGBT people there. That has taken so much time that it is important to press forward,” Freedman-Gurspan said. “... We need the community to be engaged at the local and state level and remember how much has changed over our federal government.” The summit featured a second panel discussing local issues and featured Sommer Foster and Leah Taraskiewicz from Equality Michigan; Pat Clark from Community AIDS Resource & Education Services; Jerry Peterson from the Ruth Ellis Center; Kathleen LaTosch from SAGE Detroit; and Danielle Woods from the Detroit Police Department. These local advocates highlighted the services currently being offered by Michigan organizations and what work is left to do in the state.

Small Business Administration Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Eugene Cornelius, joined Jan Stevenson and Kevin Heard of the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce to talk about the importance of uniting and uplifting LGBT owned businesses. Two-thirds of the jobs that have been created in the past five years were created by small businesses. Cornelius said that when he found out that there was a certification for LGBT owned businesses across the nation but only 135 companies had achieved certification, he moved immediately to change that. Over the last six to seven months, with the help of the SBA, nearly 850 businesses across the country are now certified as LGBT owned.

Heard, president of the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce, said that a benefit to working in an LGBT chamber of commerce is that the membership represents everybody. LGBT chambers consist of a collaboration of people from all identities that intersect with various communities from the disabled and veteran communities to Asian and black communities. LGBT chambers provide opportunities that no other chamber of commerce can deliver. “The bottom line is that it’s important that you certify even if you’re not doing business with these administrations. I think our community is good at displaying our visibility. But we should be visible everyday, in every category, in every district, in every state, and we should be able to say in front of any senator or administration that here is our numbers, this is what we contribute to the national profit GDP,” Cornelius said. “Advocacy is a part of this.” Three panel sessions were held following the keynote address presented by Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Catherine Lhamon: addressing safe school policies, safe school policy implementation and one focused on updates on trans health and coverage in the ACA. The latter half of the summit was not open to the press. “By connecting movement leaders from nearly every LGBTQ organization in the state with White House and federal officials as well as key state officials, the summit provided a great catalyst that will propel our collective work forward,” Equality Michigan said in a statement following the conference.

Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Eugene Cornelius; President of the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce Kevin Heard and Vice President of the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce and BTL publisher Jan Stevenson discussing the importance of designating a business as LGBT owned. BTL Photo: AJ Trager

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April 28, 2016 | BTL

NEWS

What’s the Big Fuss About the Fourth Circuit Trans Decision? Who’s the student who sued? His name is Gavin Grimm, and he’s a junior at Gloucester High School in the rural Virginia county of Gloucester. He’s 16 years old and has felt, since age 6, that he’s a male. A psychologist diagnosed Grimm with gender dysphoria, a condition in which a person strongly identifies as a gender different from his or her physical gender attributes. His parents helped him change his name, secure treatment to transition to a male identity, and inform and seek help from school officials. Grimm does not participate in physical education classes and did not seek use of the boys’ locker room, but he did seek use of the boys’ restroom. He explained that, in girls’ restrooms, girls reacted negatively to his presence because they perceive him to be a boy.

BY LISA KEEN It’s an important legal victory, but the federal appeals panel ruling last week in favor of a transgender teen has not yet knocked down the hostility or hurdles blocking transgender people to access public restrooms. And even though LGBT legal activists express a great deal of optimism that the case will eventually make gains for transgender people, opponents have already filed an appeal to the full federal appeals court. The transgender court victory comes as national attention – even international attention – has reached an important juncture. North Carolina and Mississippi have passed laws to specifically bar transgender people from using public restrooms that correspond to their gender identity and presentation. That has triggered a flood of public and corporate protest, become an issue in the 2016 presidential campaign, and even prompted a question for President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron at a joint press conference in London last Friday. The following is a quick primer on why the appeals panel decision has garnered so much attention and why it may reach far beyond one transgender student in Virginia: What are the basics? A three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals voted 2 to 1 on April 19 that Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 – which prohibits discrimination based on sex by federally funded educational institutions – also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. The majority’s ruling in Grimm v. Gloucester came on preliminary motion in a lawsuit filed by a transgender student, Gavin Grimm. The preliminary motion requested that he be able to use his public high school’s boys’ restrooms until his overall lawsuit can be resolved. An 87-year-old Reagan-appointed federal district court judge had denied the preliminary injunction, declaring Grimm to be a female and ruling that “sex” in Title IX does not include gender identity or sexual orientation. The majority reversed that decision, noting that the U.S. Department of Education had issued an opinion letter last year, saying Title IX requires “a school generally must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity.” The panel sent the case back to the district court with instructions to reconsider the preliminary injunction based on the panel majority’s decision. The Gloucester County School Board immediately appealed the panel’s decision to the full 4th Circuit.

BTL | April 28, 2016

In January a transgender student, Gavin Grimm, 16, from rural Virginia went to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to appeal a ruling that says he can’t use the men’s restroom. Photo ACLU.

Why is this a big deal? This lawsuit is still in the preliminary stages, and the decision addresses only sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX in federally funded educational facilities. But the April 19 ruling was the first time a federal appeals court anywhere in the nation has ruled that discrimination based on “sex” included discrimination based on “gender identity.” Next, the full 4th Circuit – which covers the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland and West Virginia – will have an opportunity to weigh in or let the panel decision stand. But LGBT activists note that most of the rest of the 4th Circuit judges are fairly progressive and are likely to uphold the panel decision. Also, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory – who supported the law in that state to ban transgender people from using public restrooms consistent with their gender identity – said he would “respect” the 4th Circuit panel decision as it applies to federally funded educational facilities. An editorial in the News & Observer newspaper in Raleigh said the ruling should prompt lawmakers there to repeal the anti-gay law. How big could this get? This could go to the U.S. Supreme Court and a decision there could affect every state, not just the 4th Circuit states. But there’s another important potential impact, too: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibits most public and private employers from discriminating based on “sex.” Like the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has determined that the prohibition on “sex” discrimination includes a prohibition on “gender identity”

and “sexual orientation” discrimination. As Jon Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal, explains: “I believe there is at least as strong a case that courts are required to give the EEOC’s determinations that Title VII’s ban on sex discrimination prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and that excluding transgender employees from restrooms matching their gender identity violates Title VII (as) there was for the 4th Circuit to be obligated to defer to the similar determinations of the Department of Education.” The Supreme Court, really? It’s possible, but LGBT legal activists think it’s not likely at this time. The Supreme Court rarely gets involved in a case at a preliminary stage. One of the big reasons it does take a case is to resolve a conflict among the various federal appeals circuits. Right now, only the 4th Circuit has ruled on Title IX, so there is no conflict, notes Jennifer Levi of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders. “So, even if the school eventually appealed to the Supremes, I would think it very unlikely that they would weigh in,” said Levi. Plus, she notes, there are only eight justices on the Supreme Court right now. A tie vote at the Supreme Court would leave the appeals decision intact, so it seems unlikely the Gloucester County School Board would appeal to the Supreme Court under these circumstances. More likely: If the full 4th Circuit upholds the panel decision, Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights predicts the school district will simply settle the lawsuit rather than go through the expense of a full trial when the 4th Circuit’s position is “so clear.”

How did this land in court? School officials initially cooperated and allowed Grimm to use the boys’ restroom. Things went well for seven weeks then, according to court documents, some parents of other students complained, and school board officials held hearings. At those hearings, some parents expressed hostility toward Grimm, calling him a “young lady” and a “freak.” Some warned that allowing him to use the boys’ restroom would lead to sexual assaults and prompt boys to dress as girls in order to enter the girls’ restrooms. In response, the school board adopted a policy requiring that transgender students use “an alternative appropriate private facility.” But Grimm said that policy increased his feeling of being stigmatized. Who was on the student’s side? The ACLU, Lambda Legal, the Transgender Law Center, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, the Transgender Law & Policy Institute, the U.S. Justice Department, and school administrators in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and several other states, as well as the gay Whitman-Walker Health Clinic in Washington, DC; the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association; and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Which judges participated? Judge Henry Floyd (an appointee of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama) wrote the decision, which was joined by Senior Circuit Judge Andre Davis (an appointee of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama). Judge Paul Niemeyer (an appointee of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush) concurred in part and dissented in part.

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Trans Activist Files Sex Discrimination Lawsuit Against SVSU BY AJ TRAGER

said that this was her own fault and that “she should’ve given me a full time job because I had too much time on my hands,” Davenport told BTL. Over the course of the next two months, Davenport’s position was knocked down to five hours a week and then was eliminated in December. Upon inquiry, Coburn-Collins told Davenport that the decision was made by the provost

SAGINAW – “She said I was a liar and had been my entire life. That is hard. If I had to pick just one thing that really hurt...” Charin Davenport said trailing off. “That’s how you feel about yourself because you feel like your whole life is a lie. Nobody wants to be trans.” By the time this conversation had happened, Charin Davenport, an adjunct English professor teaching at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) and Delta College, had been dismissed from her job at SVSU as assistant to the Director of Academic Programs Support, Ann Coburn-Collins. Davenport had been working for SVSU in multiple capacities since 2007. She started as an adjunct professor in the English department, then from August 2011 to July 2012 she worked additionally as the coordinator of academic tutoring services and became Coburn-Collins’ assistant in July of 2012. Before the 2012 fall semester began, Davenport attended a trans conference in Atlanta geared toward making campuses more open and affirming of trans students and faculty. She had gotten permission Char Davenport, board member for Transgender Michigan from Coburn-Collins and received and well respected trans activist in the state, filed a federal funding for her trip south, which lawsuit against SVSU for sex discrimination after losing a she had hoped would inform her job because of her gender. She recently was highlighted in an Eclectablog.com series focusing on trans identities academic work. in the state. She has three children and two grandchildren. Davenport returned and spent Photo by: Sam Jackson the next semester teaching and working part time in an editorial capacity for Coburn-Collins. Shortly after the fall semester began, her scheduled hours were cut down to That’s when I knew that the 10 a week. reason I lost my job was because In October 2012, Davenport decided it was time to introduce the in the eyes of my boss I was world to her authentic self and began disgusting, despicable and a liar to retire the male identity that was assigned to her at birth. She scheduled because I’m transgender. an appointment with her supervisor, Coburn-Collins, to discuss changes moving forward and that’s when -Char Davenport things went south. “I told her that my intention was to start hormones and that I would probably be teaching as Char in the and university officials who had gone winter or the following fall – no later than through the budget and decided the the following fall. And then she started position was unnecessary. Davenport legally changed her name crying. I thought she was really happy,” to Charin the following April. During Davenport explained. After drying her tears, Coburn-Collins this process, she stopped by the academic

“

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programs support office to see if her previous supervisor and work friend would be interested in catching up and repairing the bridge that was broken. It was at that meeting that CoburnCollins called her a liar and the two engaged in a heated discussion. According to Davenport, Coburn-Collins threw papers and other office supplies off her desk and then began pounding on the desk. “I finally got the confidence and went to leave. She said, ‘Hold it right there, Mr.’ I froze and she said, ‘Don’t think that this is about your so called gender, this is about you being a liar.’ And I couldn’t speak and I walked out and I made a b-line to the secretary’s desk,” Davenport explained. “That’s when I knew that the reason I lost my job was because in the eyes of my boss I was disgusting, despicable and a liar because I’m transgender.”

Fighting Against Defeat, Davenport Files A Lawsuit “I felt utterly defeated,” she said. Until that time, Davenport had never been fired from anything before. She had won awards for Teacher of the Year everywhere she had taught and was loved by her fellow faculty and her students. But she felt her life had been turned upside down. Davenport went above and beyond to inform and educate the university chain of command regarding how changes in her appearance would affect the establishment. She met multiple times with the human resources department about her name change and her use of university locker rooms and bathrooms. Shortly after the heated meeting with her former boss, Davenport was diagnosed with kidney cancer. She had to stop teaching to undergo treatments but said she could’ve continued working editorially for the academic programs support office and maintained some form of income to help cover medical costs and other financial responsibilities. However, due to her termination, those funds were not available. “You reach a point in your life and you think I’m gonna do this thing and you can’t. I just wanted to give up in all the ways that that means,” Char told BTL. “I sat in my apartment all by myself See Lawsuit, page 12

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April 28, 2016 | BTL

Parting Glances OPINION BY CHARLES ALEXANDER

Time Flies! That’s For Sure!

ne of the pleasures for a writer or an artist is to come across an early composition or art piece and experience finding it with a sense of reading or seeing it for the first time. (Like coming across an old Polaroid picture. Oh, my God! Is that really me?) Such happened to me just the other day. I was emailed an art piece image – “Rainbow Vibes” – I had done 20 years ago, favorably commented upon, I might add – and while tidying up my desk recently, I found copies of a lost, forgotten 1995 interview on Detroit gay bars, and a poem, “The Clock” I had written sometime in the 1950s. And given a big May birthday that’s coming up, “The Clock” is certainly timely. Shortly before retiring from the digitally enhanced combat called teaching, I originally came across my poem in a volume of DPS Reporter issues about students, teachers and education, circa the mid-1950s. I was indeed startled to discover it. My poem dates from the ninth grade at Harry Burns Hutchins Intermediate School, to and from which I took a 10-cent bus ride for three reasonably happy years. The school was located on Woodrow Wilson and Blaine, in a then predominantly Jewish neighborhood. I still judge Hutchins as one of the best learning experiences As I approach my 80th birthday in of my long life. “The Clock” was two weeks, I smile at the refreshing, originally included in a studentunsullied innocence of the likable kid illustrated, handI think I was. Life had a “Wow! Pow!” stapled, mimeograph booklet, “The Coach quality about it. Get out on stage! and Four.” (I began writing poetry during Take charge! Pull rabbits out of hats! my summer at Baptist Camp. The poetic gift came along with an equally inspiring crush on my camp counselor, Jerry Somebodyorother.) Though I wrote “The Clock” when I was 14 or 15, I’ll be the first to admit – modestly, of course – that there is about its rhyme-scheme brevity a touch of precocious, otherworldly, Emily Dickinsonian Americana genius. (Got that?) Having provided such introductory palaver, here’s the poem in its pristine simplicity. (I’ll be delighted to read it in person for any festive occasion warranting the inclusion of a spiritually uplifting, LGBT inspired composition. Gratis.) And so ... “Our dusty old clock sits on the shelf/ Ticking softly there by itself/ Slowly counting the hours away/ As night turns to another day./ Winter. Summer. The whole year through/ Tick tock. I hear it. Do you?/ We grow old and pass away/ But the clock goes on from day to day.” Oh, well. I was only several months post-pubescent when I yielded to that premature calling of the muse. (Shared in passing: when I went to Burton Elementary School, part of our learning experience was poetry memorization. So, if asked – again gratis – I can recite William Wordsworth’s now very spring apropos, “The Daffodils.” “When oft See Parting Glances, next page

BTL | April 28, 2016

Viewpoint

Important National Victory for Transgender Students Rights The 4th Circuit decision provides additional guidance to Michigan school districts regarding how to handle the issue of transgender students and bathrooms. BY JAY KAPLAN

n April 19, 2016, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals became the first United States federal court to hold that the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX (the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex) and the issue of transgender students and restrooms must be followed by the federal courts. This means that public schools are required to permit transgender students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity. This decision overturned a lower court ruling by federal district court Judge Robert Doumar, who had dismissed a claim by Gavin Grim, a teenage transgender male student attending high school in Gloucester, Virginia, that the school violated his Title IX rights by adopting a rule that he could use only restrooms designated for girls or unisex single-user restrooms. The high school had accommodated Gavin when, at the beginning of his sophomore year, he informed school officials that he would be expressing his male gender

identity, by permitting him to use the male restrooms. After several weeks without incident, some parents – alerted to the situation by their children – objected and pushed the school board to adopt a resolution limiting him to female facilities or unisex single user bathrooms. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals majority found the Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX regarding the use of bathroom facilities is entitled to deference, unless a school board can demonstrate that the interpretation is “clearly erroneous or inconsistent with the regulation or statute.” The court majority found that the department’s interpretation that in the case of a transgender student using a sex-segregated restroom facility, “the individual’s sex as male or female is to be generally determined by reference to the student’s gender identity.” This is a significant legal ruling on so many levels. First, as North Carolina and its notorious discriminatory See Victory, next page

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® Victory Continued from p. 10

trans bathroom law are within the 4th Circuit, the Court of Appeals has essentially said that North Carolina is in violation of Title IX – that could have an impact on whether the state will continue to receive federal education dollars if it enforces the law. There is already a federal lawsuit against the state of North Carolina and its bathroom law, brought by the National ACLU and Lambda, challenging both the constitutionality of this law, as well as its violation of Title IX. Second, what the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has done is agree with both the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice, that to deny transgender students the right to use bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity is illegal sex discrimination. Third, this decision, although not binding on states outside of the 4th Circuit, sends a message to state legislatures contemplating passing legislation similar to North Carolina’s regarding transgender students and bathroom usage: “You will be violating Title IX and putting your federal education dollars at risk.” Hopefully this message will be heard by members of the Michigan Legislature, where State Sen. Casperson has announced that he will be introducing legislation mandating that students can only use restrooms in accordance with the gender assigned on their birth certificates, or in the alternative single-user unisex restrooms. Clearly such legislation is both unconstitutional and constitutes sex discrimination and should it become law in Michigan, the ACLU will challenge in federal court. This past week a similar bathroom bill in Mississippi was pulled as a result of a

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Glances

Continued from p. 10

upon my couch I lie ...” Come to think of it: as a kid I was Mr. Starlit Stairway, with an enthusiasm I find refreshing now looking back, but also now curious, given my penchant for being shy in public places in these my advancing years. (Since when, Mary?) At Hutchins I also did a ventriloquism act, with a dummy named Hermann purchased at Hall’s Magic Shop, long vanished from Downtown Detroit. I haven’t a clue what my script was. I think it had something to do with the terrors of jaywalking, but apparently I got enthusiastic applause for my schizoid efforts. (And an A in Auditorium.) That same year I put on a magic show at the Cass Avenue Methodist Church. As a proud owner of a multipurpose Gilbert’s Magic Set (linking rings, deck of prepared cards,

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state attorney general opinion that the state could lose its federal education funding if such provision became law. And perhaps, most importantly, the 4th Circuit decision

What the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals has done is agree with both the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice, that to deny transgender students the right to use bathrooms in accordance with their gender identity is illegal sex discrimination.

provides additional guidance to Michigan school districts regarding how to handle the issue of transgender students and bathrooms. It makes it clear that it is no longer acceptable to require the transgender student to use a separate restroom, which can be both isolating and stigmatizing. The ruling also demonstrates that the Michigan State Board of Education’s proposed guidance regarding the bathroom issue is both consistent with the what the federal government and federal courts are saying, as well as in compliance with federal civil rights laws. Are you listening, lawmakers in Lansing? Jay Kaplan is the staff attorney with the ACLU of Michigan LGBT Project. He can be reached at jkaplan@aclumich.org.

trick magic wands, vanishing handkerchiefs, fake mustache), I felt myself Harry Houdini incarnate. Handcuffs and straight jackets came much later. My assistant was Carolyn Clark, whose father George Murray claimed to have worked with famed magician Harry Blackstone, one of magicdom’s greats. But Carolyn and I had a grand time. The applause and free dinner made stars of us, if only for an hour’s indulgence. As I approach my 80th birthday in two weeks, I smile at the refreshing, unsullied innocence of the likable kid I think I was. Life had a “Wow! Pow!” quality about it. Get out on stage! Take charge! Pull rabbits out of hats! Change silken hankies ... purple, blue, green, red, yellow, orange ... Take bows. Tweak mustaches. Hocus locus! Oh, yes! I’m busy on a new birthday poem. (As soon as I can figure out what rhymes with Shinola.) Tempus fugit.

Creep of the Week Louie Gohmert

arget. It’s kind of a weird name for a store. I mean, a target is something you shoot at. But say the word

Louie Gohmert “target” anywhere in America and chances are people will think, “I need to buy some underwear, milk and a laundry basket” before they think “shooting range.” But now Target is the target of the antitrans right because Target did something pretty radical. Something few companies have dared to do because it’s just so fringe, so wild, so unheard of. And no, it has nothing to do with Isaac Mizrahi. This time. On April 19, Target announced that it’s okay for people to use the restrooms at their store. I know! Can you even believe it? Can you even believe how totally mundane and uninteresting that should be? But, no. This nation’s unhealthy obsession with the potty habits of trans people or people who do not have a rigid gender identity has made such a statement revolutionary, apparently. “(W)e welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity,” Target said in an April 19 statement. “Given the specific questions these legislative proposals raised about how we manage our fitting rooms and restrooms, we felt it was important to state our position.” To which I say, “Bravo, Target! Now if you would just let your workers unionize I might love you instead of just liking you.” Other people, however, are FREAKING. Dumb people, but people nonetheless. And one of those dumbs is Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas. “I understand Target may now be changing their restrooms,” Gohmert said on the House floor on April 21 according to the Huffington Post. “If they’re going to be having women come into men’s restrooms, I won’t be going to Target to shop, unless and until that changes.”

BY D’ANNE WITKOWSKI Uh, Target is not changing their restrooms, nor are women all of a sudden flocking to Target’s urinals (because urinals are very hard to sit on). But as I’ve said, Gohmert is not the brightest bulb in the House. After chiding folks for being so hard on North Carolina, Gohmert says, “It’s already been shown: you give guys a chance to say I’m transgender and I can get to go in and film a girl in a shower, there will be people that do that. Why not let the transgender LGBTQ, R, S, T, whatever the initials are, let them have their activities where they don’t impose upon the privacy of someone who wants to go to the restroom or shower without someone of the opposite sex being there with them?”

The crux of Gohmert’s complaint, and really the entire argument in favor of the bathroom police laws being proposed across the country, is who gets to define what a man or a woman is? Target thinks it should be up to the individual person. Gohmert thinks it should be him. First of all, ha ha. Get it? LGBTQRST… Because there are so many weird letters! And who cares what they mean? Secondly, it has not already been shown that guys will fake being trans so they can go get nudie videos. That is not a thing. There are guys who are predators. And those guys are predators regardless of whether the law discriminates against trans people or not. To say that trans men and women are by definition sexual predators simply because they make you feel confused and uncomfortable is stupid and hateful. The crux of Gohmert’s complaint, and really the entire argument in favor of the bathroom police laws being proposed across the country, is who gets to define what a man or a woman is? Target thinks it should be up to the individual person. Gohmert thinks it should be him. Gohmert is totally going to delete his Cartwheel app as soon as he can find it on his flip phone.

Charles@pridesource.com

April 28, 2016 | BTL

NEWS ® Lawsuit Continued from p. 9

thinking about cancer, always being broke, losing another job and never having selfactualization and congruency of everything... never knowing.” She and her former boss were close. Davenport would house-sit while CoburnCollins was out of town and they would go out for drinks and socialize together after work with other university faculty. CoburnCollins was the second person Davenport told about her plans of transitioning, thinking that Coburn-Collins would be supportive and happy for her and share in the joy. On April 8, 2016, Jennifer Salvatore filed a lawsuit in federal court against SVSU on behalf of Davenport claiming that the university discriminated against Davenport due to her gender. “Discrimination against people who don’t conform to traditional gender stereotypes is a form of sex discrimination under the law,” Salvatore said in a news release. “No human being should be vilified and denigrated the way Char was by her supervisor, let alone lose their job because of who they are. She is a wonderful person with a lot of courage to speak out about what happened to her.” The lawsuit claims that SVSU violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Davenport and her counsel are asking the court to reinstate her to her former position and is seeking financial damages from a jury. “We support all our students, faculty and staff, including those who are members of the LGBT community,” J.J. Boehm, SVSU spokesman, said. “We have a Pride Center on campus to serve those individuals and to contribute toward an inclusive campus environment. Since this is pending litigation, we can have no further comment at this time.” “I needed to do this for me, because you begin to believe the narrative about yourself. There’s a whole world out there waiting to beat me up – us (trans men and women) up – you know? I don’t have a persecution complex. There’s a whole world out there that will put up road blocks and knock us down, and I decided I wasn’t going to allow that. I guess, in a way, I’m glad that it was someone like me,” Davenport said. Davenport is a board member for Transgender Michigan and is a well respected trans activist in the state. She recently was highlighted in an Eclectablog.com series focusing on trans identities in the state. She has three children and two grandchildren. Coburn-Collins was approached for comment; as of press time, BTL had not received a response.

BTL | April 28, 2016

Recap: New York Primary BY LISA KEEN Ted Cruz suffered the consequences of deriding “New York values,” John Kasich won a little support while speaking out against anti-gay laws, and Donald Trump raked in nearly all the chips from the April 19 New York primary by keeping a mostly muddled middle ground on rights for LGBT people. In the Democratic primary, where both candidates have long-standing records of respecting LGBT people, Hillary Clinton held nearly all the backing from LGBT leaders. She, too, beat her opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders. With big wins in the New York primary, Clinton and Trump have significantly tightened their grip on their parties’ presidential nominations. Former Secretary of State Clinton now has 80 percent of the 2,383 delegates she needs to secure the Democratic presidential nomination; U.S. Sen. Sanders has 52 percent. Real estate titan Trump has 68 percent of the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the Republican nomination; U.S. Sen. Cruz has 45 percent; Ohio Gov. Kasich has 12 percent. Clinton boasted the endorsement of most well-known LGBT leaders in the state, including State Sen. Brad Hoylman; New York State Assembly members Deborah Glick, Daniel O’Donnell, Harry Bronson, and Matthew Titone; and former New York City mayoral candidate Christine Quinn. She was also endorsed by openly LGBT New York City Councilmembers Daniel Dromm, Corey Johnson, Rosie Mendez, Jimmy Van Bramer, and James Vacca. And she also won the endorsement of the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC. A New York Times map of how various New York City neighborhoods voted showed Clinton taking 68 percent of the vote in heavily gay Chelsea, compared to Sanders’ 32 percent. She got 66 percent, versus Sanders’ 34 percent, in the West Village and SoHo. Even an untidy, self-selected survey of men in New York using a gay dating app found that most were supporting Clinton. The “data” collected by Scruff showed that, of 765 men who responded, 57 percent said they would be voting for Clinton, 32 percent for Sanders, 4 percent “undecided” but voting for a Democrat, and 4 percent for Trump. Almost 2 percent said they would vote for Kasich. Less than 1 percent (three people) backed Cruz. At an LGBT fundraiser in New York City March 30, openly gay actors Guillermo Díaz and Cynthia Nixon were on hand to welcome the candidate. Former State Sen. Tom Duane endorsed Sanders.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton arrives for a rally in Purchase, N.Y. The Associated Press

‘People like that’ What made the run-up to the New York primary particularly interesting was all the talk about gay issues on the Republican side. In a town hall forum with CNN’s Anderson Cooper April 13, Cruz tried to redefine what he criticized in January as “New York values.” Many groups had taken offense at Cruz’s use of the term, including LGBT people who read it as code for acceptance of LGBT people and their equality under the law. But Cruz told Cooper he was only repeating the phrase Trump had used in 1999 in regards to partial birth abortion. Cruz said he used the term to describe “liberal Democrats who have been, frankly, hurting the people of New York over and over again.” He then shifted his defense of the term onto a Hispanic African-American pastor and state senator, Ruben Diaz. He paraphrased Diaz as telling him in Spanish that he understood what Cruz was trying to say. “He said, ‘I know exactly what you mean by New York values because,’ he said, ‘I’m a Democrat... and my Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, said if you are pro-life, if you believe in traditional marriage, if you believe in the Second Amendment, you have no place in the state of New York.’” Ultra-conservative commentator Glenn Beck tried to soften Cruz’s harsh edges, too. He quoted Cruz as saying he “chewed my staff out” for booking the candidate on the same stage with virulently anti-gay speaker Kevin

Swanson early in the contest. Swanson told the audience that gays should be executed. Beck said he and his daughter were meeting with Cruz when his daughter asked Cruz why he appeared on the same stage as such a man. Beck said Cruz told his daughter that he considered that speaker “reprehensible,” “bigoted” and “despicable.” “I want nothing to do with him or any kind of alliances to people like that,” Beck said Cruz told him and his daughter. Two days before the primary, appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Cruz tackled a question from a man in the television audience who said he was leaning toward voting for Trump. The man, Todd Calongne, identified himself as being married to his husband for two years. Calongne said he noticed “religious freedom laws” and “institutionalized discrimination” laws around the country. “What would you do as president to protect me and my husband from institutionalized discrimination?” “When it comes to religious liberty,” said Cruz, “religious liberty is something that protects everyone. ...All of us, we want to live in a world where we don’t have the government dictating our beliefs, dictating how we live. We have a right to live according to our faith, according to our conscience, and that freedom ultimately protects each and every one of us. And we shouldn’t have the right to force others to knuckle under and give up their faith and See New York, next page

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® New

York

Continued from p. 12

give up their belief. And for me, I have spent my entire adult life fighting to defend religious liberty, fighting to defend the right of every one of us to seek out and worship God. And I think keeping government out of the way of your lives protects the freedom of every one of us.” There was a scattering of applause but show co-host Robin Roberts, who is openly gay, jumped in. “But when you talk about freedom,” she said, reminding Cruz that Calongne has a husband, “a lot of people would say, ‘Doesn’t everybody have the freedom to be treated equally?’” “Of course we do,” said Cruz, “and the First Amendment protects everyone equally.” He then leapt into a discussion of kosher delis. This time, co-host George Stephanopoulos entered the fray. He noted that Cruz supports efforts to repeal the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against state bans on marriage for samesex couples. “What would that mean for couples like Todd and his husband who already are married?” he asked. “Well, look, I’m a constitutionalist,” said Cruz, “and under the constitution, marriage is a question for the states. ...So if somebody wants to change the marriage laws, I don’t think five unelected lawyers down in Washington dictating that. ...If you want to change the marriage laws, convince your fellow citizens to change the laws.” On the other end of the Republican candidates’ political spectrum, at least as far as it concerns LGBT people, Kasich was continuing his double mantra of, “I’m for traditional marriage” and “I want no discrimination against anybody.” At town meeting campaign event April 11, carried by ABC News, an audience member asked Kasich, “As president of the United States, what would you do to protect our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth?” Kasich acknowledged “what’s happening in North Carolina, what happened in Indiana,” Georgia, and Mississippi – states that have passed laws to allow discrimination against

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LGBT people. “In my state, first of all, I want no discrimination against anybody. I’m not in favor of discrimination, period, end of story,” said Kasich. “Secondly, the Supreme Court ruled, you know, in favor of gay marriage. I’m a traditional marriage guy. But the court ruled. I’m allowing a court ruling to stand. I’m not looking for some constitutional amendment. It’s done.” “Now, our religious institution should be protected. They should be able to do the things they want,” continued Kasich. The town hall audience interrupted with applause, but Kasich quieted them to add the rest of his thought – concerning discrimination by commercial entities. “Let’s say I’m running a cupcake store. Somebody comes in, they want to buy cupcake,” said Kasich. “Sell them a cupcake! OK? “Secondly, though, if I’m a photographer and you want me to go to your wedding and I don’t want to, you know, then, go find another photographer, okay?” Kasich said he thought “things were going along quite well after the Supreme Court decision” against state bans on marriage for same-sex couples but that some people “were using... this to some degree as a wedge issue.” “Now, if in my state, I find that we have a problem – I mean a real problem; not a case here and a case there, but a real problem where things are coming apart – of course, we have to do something about that,” said Kasich. He did not suggest what kind of “something” he might consider but he suggested he would be inclined to, “Number one, to respect the position of those in the gay community, and secondly, to try to figure out what you do about religious liberty.” “But I have to tell you,” concluded Kasich, “when you get in the middle of that, there’s no easy answer. So you know what I kind of think? Let it go. ...Respect people – that they are different than we are because that’s just the way it is. And to get into these businesses of, ‘I’m not gonna serve you because you’re a certain (audio not clear), c’mon folks. We have to live together ... How about a little bit more tolerance, a little bit more respect.”

April 28, 2016 | BTL

Photo: Jake Bailey

Tales from Beyond the Tracksuit

Jane Lynch Talks Life After ‘Glee,’ Catholic Guilt & Crushing on Susan Sarandon BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

ou better believe Jane Lynch can sing, and even if you don’t, “I think by the time you buy the ticket and come to the show, you hope I can sing! You’ve got your fingers crossed!” the “Glee” alum says of her touring act “See Jane Sing,” cracking her signature booming laugh. Lynch is best known as iconic cheer coach Sue Sylvester, who tormented McKinley High for six seasons of Fox’s musical-dramedy

BTL | April 28, 2016

behemoth “Glee,” which brimmed with all sorts of songs – just not many sung by Lynch herself. There was, of course, the playful homage to Madonna, when Lynch donned black lace for a frame-by-frame remake of the Queen’s video “Vogue.” But on “Glee,” the 55-year-old Emmy winner was better known for her tyrannical outbursts and hair taunts (poor Mr. Schuester) than she was for breaking into song. Now, Lynch is making up for lost time as she headlines “See Jane Sing,” the entertainer’s

touring cabaret that merges comedy with music and also features Kate Flannery of “The Office” and Tim Davis, the music director of “Glee.” The show stops in Michigan for the Ann Arbor Summer Festival at 8 p.m. June 29. After resolving a shoddy phone connection (“Where are you? Iraq covering the war?”), Lynch spoke at length about how her cabaret is not a “live sex show” like Liza’s, the one man she’d go straight for (and the one woman she’d stay gay for), and what’s so funny about three white people performing Nicki Minaj’s

“Anaconda.”

Do you read reviews? Ummm, good question! I have for this show, yes. The reason being is because I’m confident (laughs). I don’t think anybody could say anything about it, me or anybody in it that would actually stick. I don’t think they could say anything bad because I’m very confident in it; it’s such a blast that it stands alone as an experience for me without having anybody telling me it’s good or bad.

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INFO See Jane Sing 8 p.m. June 29 Power Center 121 Fletcher St., Ann Arbor a2sf.org

The reason I ask is because I read a New York Times review from 2014. It was awesome, wasn’t it?

It was! They noted the show’s “sexual subtext.” I haven’t seen the show yet, but I’m curious about this “sexual subtext.” Yeah, I am too! I’m curious about it too! (Laughs) I think what they might have been talking about is: Cheyenne Jackson, a wonderfully talented man who also happens to be gay, did “Something Stupid” that night with me. It was a special thing and he came up and we sang the song “Something Stupid,” and he talked about this weird kind of sexual tension between the two of us, because I think he’s so attractive and so handsome and I get very confused about my sexuality when I’m in the presence of Cheyenne Jackson.

When I’m watching Cheyenne Jackson I know that I am 100 percent homosexual, no question about it. Isn’t that wonderful? I feel that way about Susan Sarandon, though she probably wouldn’t, you know, receive my affection… well, she’d receive it, but she might not return it.

What was your introduction to cabaret? Well, let’s see, I’ve been in theater for a long time. I go see people perform, whether it’s at a hole in the wall or it’s a chick with a guitar. I usually don’t like big rock concerts – I don’t seek those out – so the combination of doing a comedy show with music has always been something I loved. I used to do sketch comedy a lot before I started doing television and film, and we always found a way to put a song in there. I did a “one person” show and I put the quotes there because there were three other people in there; it was all my material, but I had other people in it and we had six or seven songs in it and I love that. I don’t play a character so much, but Kate is my inappropriate drunken sidekick and we have a particular thing that I think is very entertaining and a lot of fun. She’s the glue of the evening for me and I’m so lucky to have her.

So your introduction to cabaret was not Liza’s “Cabaret”? Oh, that – well, that’s a whole different thing. That was almost like a live sex show in Nazi Germany! It’s funny, I think we call (this show) a cabaret and it’s kind of stuck with the show because we did it at 54 Below (in New York). It’s where one person stands there with their band and people come to eat

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and listen, so when I say cabaret, it’s a live performance comedy concert. (Laughs)

Were you a funny kid? Yeah, I was a funny kid and that was one thing I always knew I had. You know how you’re insecure as a kid? I was like, “Well, I know I’m funny.”

So you used that to your advantage? Yeah, I guess so. You know, sometimes I felt like I was just trying to survive, as I think a lot of kids feel, having the big gay secret and all that stuff. I feel like when you’re a kid – for a lot of kids anyway – it’s about trying to survive and stay under the radar of humiliation so people don’t sniff you out.

Did humor help you survive, then, as a kid? Oh yeah, absolutely.

How did you know you were funny and when did you realize you could make a living being funny? I never set out to do that. I love mining things for the comedy and, of course, that attracts people who love doing that as well. I had this one hilarious friend in high school, Christopher, who’s still a friend, and we did nothing but laugh together. The silliness of the social hierarchies – we would watch those and we laughed about those. We laughed about everything; nothing was too sacred. And we were Catholic kids too! We laughed about the priests and the congregation. So, if you’re allowing your passion to lead you, you end up making money at it, which is a great thing! (Laughs) But I didn’t set out to do it. I really just set out to laugh.

For a while there, you were performing in church basements. Yeah – a lot of them! The churches would rent out their basement just to make some money and they didn’t care what kind of show you were doing. They didn’t show up; you just paid the 50 bucks and you set up the lights and that’s what ya did.

Is it true that, when you ended up at Second City, you were one of only two women picked to join the troupe? Well, that wasn’t unique. There were only two women in every company. Now, it’s three. So it wasn’t a unique thing. Every company had two women and four guys and now it’s three and three. It wasn’t like I was only one of two women in the entire history of Second City. I know in some press release it says that, or something online says “she was chosen,” but no, it’s not a big deal. All the girls were one of two women. Now they’re one of three women.

Did it feel unfair to you that the men and women weren’t equal in number? Nah, I didn’t have eyes for that stuff. I really didn’t. I didn’t see that stuff. I wasn’t available to feeling less than in that way. It just didn’t happen for me. See Jane Lynch, page 18

April 28, 2016 | BTL

Ann Arbor Film Festival Ends with Cool Cities Awards, Including Best LGBT Film Ann Arbor YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD • YOUR MARKET Pinpoint your ad dollars where they will do the most good . . . Advertise in the next Cool Cities TO PLACE AN AD CALL 734.293.7200

BY BTL STAFF The 54th Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival has officially come to a close. Over 65 filmmakers were in attendance from eight countries. Interns flew in from Edge Hill University in the United Kingdom and attendees traveled from near and far, all to experience the world of experiential film. Virtual reality, digital animation and more filled the lobby and discussion of film, art and life radiated through the Michigan Theater for six days straight. Jurors Garbiñe Ortega, Carl Bogner and Rebecca Baron chose award recipients, including “Hard as Opal” by Jared Buckhiester and Dani Leventhal for the \aut\FILM Award for Best LGBT Film. In “Hard as Opal” the lines between truth and fiction, fact and fantasy, are reined in and treated not as fixed, divisive markers but as malleable threads of narrative potential. Buckhiester and Leventhal perform alongside other non-actors who are filmed in their own varying domestic and professional environments. The result is a rich accumulation of narratives held together by questions concerning the nature of objectification, loneliness and dissociative fantasy. Other award categories included: Ken Burns Award for Best of the Festival “Ear, Nose, Throat” (Kevin Jerome Everson) The Stan Brakhage Film at Wit’s End Award “The Illinois Parables” (Deborah Stratman)

Lawrence Kasdan Award for Best Narrative Film “Edmond” (Nina Gantz) Michael Moore Award for Documentary Film “The Event” (Sergei Loznitza)

Best

Tios Award for Best International Film “Dead Slow Ahead” (Mauro Herce) Peter Wilde Award for Most Technically Innovative Film “(conical signal)” - arc \aut\FILM Award for Best LGBT Film “Hard as Opal” (Jared Buckhiester and Dani Leventhal)

Artist “Vague Images at the Beginning and End of the Day” (Carl Elsaesser) Prix DeVarti for Funniest Film “A Boy Needs a Friend” (Steve Reinke) Tom Berman Award for Most Promising Filmmaker “Jáaji Approx.” (Sky Hopinka) “Australian Paper” (Minjung Kim) George Manupelli Founder’s Spirit Award “We Chose the Milky Way” (Eva Marie Rødbro) Gil Omenn Art & Science Award “Prima Materia” (Charlotte Pryce)

Leon Speakers Award for Best Sound Design “Irradiant Field” (Laura Kraning)

The Eileen Maitland Award “Baba Dana Talks To The Wolves” (Ralitsa Doncheva)

Kodak Cinematic Vision Award “Fish Point” (Pablo Mazzolo) “House and Universe” (Antoinette Zwirchmayr)

Overture/Wazoo Award for Best Music Video “Beasts in the Garden” by Spires that in the Sunset Rise (Lori Felker)

The No Violence Award “Bending to Earth” (Rosa Barba)

PROCAM Best Regional Filmmaker Award “Our Last Hurrah” (Terri Sarris) “How to Rust” (Julia Yezbick)

Best Experimental Film “Engram of Returning” (Daïchi Saïto) Chris Frayne Award for Best Animated Film “The Resonance (Rezonans)” (Mateusz Sadowski)

Jury Awards went to “Two Clothespins in an Envelope” (Susanna Wallin); “Vivir Para Vivir / Live to Live” (Laida Lertxundi); “Blue and Red” (Zhou Tao); and “Summer 1975” (Wrik Mead).

IGNITE BRILLIANCE

The Barbara Aronofsky Latham Award for Emerging Experimental Video

Vi sit w w w.aaf ilmfest.org for more information and to stay tuned for next year’s festival.

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Lewis Jewelers................................ 12 Lord of Light Lutheran Church............* Men’s Yoga...................................... 13 Merkel Carpet One..............................* Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams........... 14 Necto............................................... 15 Orion Automotive Services Inc.............* People’s Food Coop.......................... 16 Performance Network...................... 17 Peterson, PLLC, Lisa J. .................... 18 PFLAG Ann Arbor.................................* Polo Fields Golf...................................* Rock Shoppe......................................*

Rosenberg, David ............................ 12 Sh\aut\ Cabaret and Gallery............... 6 Spectrum Center.............................. 19 Three Chairs Co............................... 20 Tios Mexican Cafe........................... 21 Top of the Lamp..................................* Trillium Real Estate............................ 6 Two Men And A Truck..........................* UMHS Comprehensive Gender Services Program...................* University Musical Society............... 22 * Not shown on map

Cool Cities Ann Arbor

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD • YOUR MARKET Pinpoint your ad dollars where they will do the most good . . . Advertise in the next Cool Cities TO PLACE AN AD CALL 734.293.7200

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April 28, 2016 | BTL

would’ve been so wonderful – oh, how great that would’ve been.

Did you feel that, when “Glee” ended in 2015, it was time? Yeah, sure. Absolutely. You know, these things can’t go on forever. We have this thing in American television that you have to be on for 10 years or something, and I think the British have it right. The British do 13 episodes and then take a holiday.

Does the cast keep in touch? Are you and Matthew Morrison still close?

Tim Davis, Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery performing in “See Jane Sing.”

® Jane

Lynch

Continued from p. 15

Assuming you’re taking a bus on tour, what kind of music do you listen to on the road? Oh no, we’re not on a bus, man. Dude, we are flying. We do this first class – that’s why I’m not making any money on this tour! We fly. I said, “I’m not gonna do it if I have to sit in a bus,” so we fly and we all fly together, although Kate and I do fly first class and I make a joke about it in the show – another reason why I’m not making any money on this tour. But we all fly together and we hang out. We all eat together, laugh together, so I’m not listening to music or anything. I’m not a listener to music – I don’t listen to it very much. But Kate does, and Kate and I have very much the same taste. So, when we’re getting ready – we have a dressing room together – she plays Burt Bacharach songs. She has a terrific library of Burt Bacharach songs, not just by Burt Bacharach, but by all sorts of groups like The Carpenters and we sing at the top of our lungs and that’s our little pre-show warmup.

How did Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” end up on the setlist? I had a burst of inspiration! I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if we did this?” First of all, I think it’s one of the most amazing, hilarious and artful videos I have ever seen. It is so funny. She is sooo self-deprecating, and she’s so kind of pinned this character – this rich girl who’s from the hood who has no class who all of a sudden is hanging out with drug dealers and having access to Balmain and nice clothes and a nice car. She just nails it. So, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be fucking

BTL | April 28, 2016

hilarious if me, Kate and Tim” – I mean we look like the Heritage Singers out there! We’re so white, so immaculately white, and all three of us cannot dance at all but have all the confidence in the world in our moves.

Looking back on “Glee”: The show changed a lot of queer kids’ lives, and if I had been younger, it really would’ve influenced me in a major way. Right; me too!

If a show like “Glee” had been on when you were a young gay person, how might your life have been different? Ahh, it would’ve showed me that I wasn’t alone, and oh, just to know that you’re not alone. I really thought I had a mental disease that I was never gonna be able to get over, that I was cursed with it, that it was my fault.

Catholic guilt? Yes, yeah! And I don’t know where I got this, because my parents weren’t Catholic in that way. We went to church but they weren’t like, “This is bad; this is good.” They just weren’t that way. They were very relaxed, not very good Catholics except that they went to church every Sunday. In saying that they weren’t very good Catholics – they were really good people! (Laughs)

I get it. They weren’t devout. Exactly. So, I don’t know where I got that it was so horrible, maybe just by the fact that it was whispered about, if it was spoken about at all. And I didn’t see one person in my trajectory of life that had it! (Laughs) I was completely alone in it, so for me to have a “Glee,” and I’m sure I speak perhaps for you and a lot of other gay people growing up in the ’70s and the ’80s, a “Glee”

I do talk to Matthew, yeah. And my niece was assistant to one of our executive producers and she’s friends with all those folks, so I see them and they come over to my house and we make dinner and sit out on the porch.

I was gonna say, “What’s a post-’Glee’ party at Jane’s house like?” (Laughs) Well, they don’t talk about “Glee,” that’s for sure! They’ve all kind of moved on, but they’re very good friends. It was a bonding experience for them – for all of them.

You have “Mascots” coming up for Netflix, and it’s directed by Christopher Guest, who also did “Best in Show” with you. What was it like teaming with Jennifer Coolidge again after playing her butch lesbian personal dog handler in “Best in Show”? Well, I didn’t work with her; I haven’t even seen her. I worked with Ed Begley Jr., Mike Hitchcock and Parker Posey, so I didn’t even get to see her. I can’t wait to see her at the premiere.

What do you remember from working with Jennifer on “Best in Show”? It was a first-time experience for both of us, and we were both very nervous. We were shooting it in Vancouver and we got very close. The days we weren’t working we would take walks through Stanley Park, and she is one of those people who can make me laugh so hard that I can’t catch my breath. She renders my mind inert. I can’t do anything but hold whatever spot I’m at and just double over and try to catch my breath.

Has there ever been a role you regretted not taking? I can’t even think of one. I’m so in the moment, man. I don’t think about that stuff. I can’t even remember turning something down and I can’t even remember – I don’t remember most things. (Laughs)

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Shows Olympia Entertainment “Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons” Tickets: $25125. Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. 7:30 p.m. April 29. 313-4716611. www.Olympiaentertainment.com

OUTINGS

kkoch@goaffirmations.org www. Goaffirmations.org

Friday, April 29

Color Me Rad Detroit 7 a.m. Registration: $40-55. World AIDS Day Detroit and Color Me Rad, 1900 Atwater St., Detroit. gaybe.am/rad

Trevor Project Trainings 8 a.m. A meal is provided each day. American Indian Health and Family Services of Southeastern Michigan, 4880 Lawndale St., Detroit. 313-846-6030. kmarshall@aihfs.org Family Weekend in the Midwest 4:30 p.m. Family Equality Council, 706 John Nolen Drive, Madison, WI 53713, Madison. ksimes@familyequality.org www.familyequality.org/get_involved/ events/midwest_events/family_ weekend_in_the_midwest/

Saturday, April 30

Gamenight 6 p.m. Gay Geeks Social Group, TBA. www.Meetup. com/gay_geek_social_group/ events/229566945/?rv=ea1&_ af=event&_af_ eid=229566945&https=off As We Go On 7 p.m. A show to benefit Ozone House, The Corner Health Center and Neutral Zone three organizations who show up for our community’s LGBTQ youth every day. Tickets: $10. Ozone House, 310 E. Washington, Ann

Pass good for five screenings of 2 p.m. shows (JCC Member $40 Non-Member $45) Patron Pass includes two tickets to every film plus the patron night reception on Monday, May 9. The Jewish Community Center, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield. 248661-1900. www.jccdet.org Casa Valentina 2 p.m. Play explores identity struggle and “the girl within.” Tickets: $18. Stagecrafters, 415 S. Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak. 248-5416430. www.Stagecrafters.org

MUSIC & MORE Concerts

The Trouble with Harry Join us for the Michigan debut of The Trouble with Harry a play based on the Alfred Hitchcock classic! The trouble with Harry is that hes dead. Four small town inhabitants need to work together quickly to deal with being suspects in Harrys death before the Deputy Sheriff catches on to the potential crime.This comedy is full of surprises and dry humour. Monster Box Theatre, 2529 Elizabeth Lake Road, Waterford. April 22, April 23, April 24, April 25, April 26, April 27, April 28, April 29, April 30, May 1, May 2, May 3, May 4, May 5, May 6, May 7, May 8. 2487871400. www. monsterboxtheatre.com

ART ‘N’ AROUND

The Naked Magicians 7 p.m. 18+. Tickets: $35+. Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak. 248-3992980. www.Royaloakmusictheatre.com

Wednesday, May 4 Relationship Skills Class This 7-session series is for LGBTQ people and their friends & loved ones. Topics include: exploring relationship values, healthy conflict resolution, establishing boundaries, accountability and building community connections. This series is open to everyone, regardless of relationship status or relationship history. The cost of the series is $35 per person. Affirmations, 290 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale. 248-398-7105. www. Goaffirmations.org LGBT Social Event 6:30 p.m. The social provides an opportunity for LGBT people in the Lake Orion area to meet one another as one step toward building support for the LGBT community in the area. C-pub menu items and beverages will be available for purchase. LGBT Group forming in Lake Orion, 2336 Joslyn Court, Lake Orion.

Thursday, May 5 Mariachis, Tamales & Murals 7 a.m. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo the Detroit way with Step On Bus Tours. Learn about the Hispanic culture that can be found here in Detroit while dining in authentic Mexican restaurants. Listen to live mariachis bands and take a tour of the spectacular Mexicantown murals. Our Cinco de Mayo tour includes carnitas and nachos snacks, a trip to the Mexicantown bakery, the Mexican market, and a visit to the Latino Cultural Center and so much more! Make sure to reserve your spot as soon as you can! Step On Bus Tours, 215 W Troy St. Ste 2046, Ferndale . 248-619-6692. steponbustours@gmail.com www. steponbustours.com/home.html Naked Men’s Yoga 6:30 p.m. Naked Men’s Yoga, Ann Arbor. massage4@ aol.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ michigan_mens_clothing_optional_ yoga

Friday, May 6 Hopes & Dreams Gala 6 p.m. This signature event will celebrate HAVEN’s 41st year of serving victims of domestic and sexual violence. Tickets: $175+. HAVEN, 200 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy. 248-322-3705. https://www.havenoakland.org/events/gala-event

Saturday, May 7 Casino Royale: Spring Bash 2016 Featuring Hank Winchester. Tickets: $195-500. Affirmations, Detroit.

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Looking to limber up and get in shape for the summer? Ann Arbor’s “Naked Men’s Yoga” is an opportunity for area LGBTQ men to get in shape in a fun environment – sans clothes. The hour-long sessions consist of yoga postures and conclude with a relaxing five to 10 minute meditation period. Yoga helps with strength, balance, flexibility, stamina, concentration and body alignment. The men that attend have similar interests in exercise, injury prevention and health. The yoga poses the class does are appropriate for beginners and those new to yoga, as well as for experienced practitioners. The clothing optional class meets from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays in Ann Arbor. For location and more information, contact Dave at massage4@aol.com or visit https://groups.yahoo. com/neo/groups/michigan_mens_clothing_optional_yoga. Arbor. https://ozonehouse.ejoinme.org/ queeryouththeatre

Sunday, May 8 Transgender Day of Visibility Art Show Pittmann-Puckett Gallery, 290 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale. 248-3987105. www.Goaffirmations.org Royal Oak In Bloom 7 a.m. Free Admission. Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce, 211 S. Williams St., Royal Oak. 248-547-4000. jenniferc@ royaloakchamber.com www. Royaloakchamber.com 18th Annual Lenore Marwil Jewish Film Festival 2 p.m. Every year, the caliber of new films surpasses past festivals and now in its 18th year, The Lenore Marwil Jewish Film Festival will once again, amaze with new stories and topics explored in films from around the world. The Festival runs May 8-19 and will have 32 films and feature talkbacks from Academy Award nominated film directors. (Roger Sherman and Oren Jacoby) The films will entertain, teach and make you cry, laugh if that doesnt wet your movie appetite, how about classic Jewish Deli or the Search for Israeli Cuisine.Tickets can be purchase through The Berman Ticket Office 248-661-1900 (Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.) or online at www.jccdet. org. Individual Tickets $12, Matinee

Canterbury House “Twin Talk” In celebration of their sophomore record release. Canterbury House, 721 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor. May 3. Fort Street Chorale “Fort Street Chorale and David Wagner present an afternoon of Baroque giants” The Fort Street Chorale and Chamber Orchestra share the stage with noted organist Dr. David Wagner for an afternoon of Baroque giants J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel. Richard Householder, professor emeritus of University of Windsor is guest conductor. The Chorale performs Bachs Mass in G Major and Dr. Wagner performs Handels Organ Concerto in F Major (The Cuckoo and the Nightingale) as well as works by Bach. Tickets are $20, $15 students and groups of 10. Fort Street Presbyterian Church, 631 W. Fort St., Detroit. 3 p.m. May 1. 313-9614533. www.fortstreet.org

Other Static Network “Detroit Zombie Armageddon” $10 donation with portion of the proceeds to benefit two local groups in their fight against cancer!. The Tangent Gallery, 715 E. MIlwaukee, Detroit. 7 p.m. May 7. 313-873-2955. www.facebook.com/ events/847306365380455/?active_ tab=posts

Detroit’s Pioneer Building “PIONEERS” Curated by Peter Gahan, this varied exhibition features painting, photography, mixed media, glass work, encaustic, drawing and fiber. Cass Cafe, 4620 Cass Ave., Detroit. April 16 - June 25. 313-831-1400. www.Casscafe.com DIA “Dance! American Art 1830-1960” 2100 Woodward Ave., Detroit. March 20 - June 12. 313-833-7900. www.Dia.org Lawrence Street Gallery “Birds of a Feather” Lawrence Street Gallery, 22620 Woodward Ave, Ferndale. May 6 - May 20. 248-44-0394. www. lawrencestreetgallery.com Red Bull House of Art “Residency 1 Exhibition at the Red Bull House of Art” Free entry. Red Bull House of Art, 1551 Winder St., Detroit. 7 p.m. April 29. www.redbullhouseofart.com/event/ calaveras-prospect-2-2/ robert kidd gallery “Laurie Tennent” Botanicals: Intimate portraits robert kidd gallery, 107 Townsend St., Birmingham. April 9 - May 6. 248-642-3909. www. Robertkiddgallery.com Step On Bus Tours “The Libbey Legacy Loves, Lights & Lust “ 215 W. Troy St. Ste 2046, Ferndale . 6:30 a.m. April 29. 248-619-6692. www.steponbustours. com/trips.html

April 28, 2016 | BTL

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Transport people to prescheduled medical appointments in Wayne County and beyond. Must have reliable 4-door vehicle, cell phone, and access to email or fax. Great way to supplement social security, disability or a pension income. (989) 738-8671

Resource Please be sure to check out our special pet guide online @ www.pridesource.com It provides great articles and resources throughout the year that help you care for your pet!

BTL Pet of the Week - Koi Say hi to Koi! This 1-year-old domestic short hair is a very affectionate fellow. He’s the curious type that loves to explore but he’s sure to not stray too far from your lap.The adoption fee includes sterilization, age-appropriate vaccinations, the MHS Adoption Guarantee and much more. For more information, visit or call the MHS Detroit Center for Animal Care at (313) 872-3400 and provide the pet ID number, 825466

20 BTL | April 28, 2016

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Deep Inside Hollywood BY ROMEO SAN VICENTE

How many Billie Jean King movies, again? This is how it goes in Hollywood: a good idea spawns copycat ideas. Sometimes, these good ideas become competing projects rushing to beat each other into theaters or on to television. It’s why there were two Truman Capote movies, why another “Jungle Book” movie is coming soon, and why there are (or were, depending on how much you trust the expression “in development”) three movies about the legendary 1973 tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King. We’ll skip the two that may or may not be actually happening now – that would be the one with Will Ferrell attached as Riggs, and the one with Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Banks, neither of which have been making much noise of late – and focus on the one that’s actually shooting. That would be “Battle of the Sexes,” which stars Emma Stone as King, Steve Carell as Riggs, and comes from the creative team of screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”), and co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (“Little Miss Sunshine”). The period comedy has a newsworthy supporting cast, too, with Elisabeth Shue, Alan Cumming and Sarah Silverman rounding out the ’70s vibe. May it remind everyone who watches it how truly resistant American culture was to the mainstreaming of feminism, and how much more work there is to be done.

‘Jurassic World’ sequel gets J.A. Bayona The “Jurassic Park” franchise, resurrected in form and money-minting function last summer, has its next director, and his name is J.A. Bayona. No worries if you’ve never heard of him. He’s the gay, Spanish filmmaker responsible for the tsunami drama “The Impossible” and the thriller “The Orphanage.” Assuming that the disaster-effects-heavy “Impossible” was sufficient-enough calling card to take on the disaster-effects-heavy world of carnivorous dinosaurs, he’ll be stepping in for the departing Colin Trevorrow. Why, you may ask, is former indie director Trevorrow not returning to the money-minting franchise? Well, he’s going to be busy with a new “Star Wars” installment, that’s why. Cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are scheduled to return – with salary hikes, it’s assumed, considering the first one pulled in $1.7 billion worldwide – and the film’s tentative release date is 2018. So, for those of you keeping score, the new

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paradigm is that you can be gay and get hired to direct a chapter in a blockbuster franchise. Now let’s see how long it takes for someone to hire a woman to make one.

Elle Fanning and Jena Malone do the love scene thing in ‘Neon Demon’ Elle Fanning is an adult now. And the first thing young actors usually do when they turn 18 is run directly to those grown-up roles. Ms. Fanning also happens to be well-regarded in her chosen profession, so it’s no surprise that for one of her first post-childhood projects, she landed herself in the latest movie from acclaimed Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn (“Drive”). It’s called “The Neon Demon,” and it’s soon to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It co-stars Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves and Jena Malone (with whom Fanning has a lesbian love scene). A stylized horror film of sorts, the plot seems to involve a young woman with aspirations to becoming a model, only to find herself surrounded by people who want to devour her youth and beauty like a pack of vampires. In other words, it’s a story about the day-in-day-out world of the entertainment industry. The art-minded thriller opens in general release in June, just in time for its star to consider living arrangements for her first semester in college. Suggestion, speaking of horror: not the dorms.

‘From Zero to I Love You’ reunites “Noah’s Arc” cast Do you miss “Noah’s Arc”? You probably do. Because, frankly, it’s not like anyone in the world of basic cable was lining up to make television programs about the lives of gay black men before it arrived. And furthermore, how many have there been since? Exactly. So when former “Arc”-er Doug Spearman directed his first feature, the LGBT film festival favorite “Hot Guys with Guns,” it gave us hope for more to come. Well, now something new “is” coming. Spearman’s latest directorial effort, “From Zero to I Love You,” will tell the story of a gay man (played by “Noah’s Arc” alum Darryl Stephens) who rejects his friends’ and family’s effort to set him up with Mr. Right, all because he can’t resist the thrill of chasing heterosexual men – the kind with wives. Yes, yes, yes, the gay shame of it all, but still a fascinating idea for a story in a world where gay culture is beating the drum for everybody settling down and getting adorably married. Why not a romance about wanting, and possibly getting, the one you can’t have? More on this one as it slowly winds its way to release.

April 28, 2016 | BTL

Q Puzzle

40 Boat bottom 42 Mullally of “Will & Grace” 43 Communicating regularly 47 Dick, for short 48 They made laws against O. Wilde’s love life 51 1950 film noir 52 Male deliveries? 54 Layer at Hamburger Mary’s 56 Mitchell’s pet bird that 20-Across “murdered” 58 “...a ___ deferred” (Hughes) 61 Ball of film 62 Illegal block by Esera Tuaola 63 Greek triangle 64 Pink on the inside 65 Windy day toy 66 A turnstile swallows it 67 Boob 68 Takes advantage of pupils?

Down

Pet Murderer Across 1 “Mamma Mia!” band 5 Acted like 9 Prefix with sexual 14 Susan Feniger preparation 15 Irene of “Fame” 16 Illicit love affair 17 Problem for skin 18 Send tumbling 19 ‘69 disturbances at Stonewall 20 Ed O’Neill’s character on

22 BTL | April 28, 2016

“Modern Family” 23 Marlon Brando’s hometown 24 Fran Drescher show, with “The” 25 Sound of Scarecrow’s foe 28 Stimpy’s pal 29 U-turn from NNW 31 Sometimes pierced flap 33 Funny Cheri 35 Tops a cupcake 36 Mitchell’s pet snake that 20-Across “murdered”

1 Scale with three sharps 2 Turned into 3 “South Pacific” tree 4 Alpha, to the circumcized 5 Beginning of “Hairspray” 6 Wife and wife, e.g. 7 Susan in “ALl My Children” 8 Moon over the Niles? 9 Saint Joan or Saint Sebastian 10 Send off 11 When repeated, campy 12 Wheel track 13 Areas for Dr. Kerry Weaver 21 Jamaican cultist 22 Old Spanish queen 25 Partner of Caesar, in comedy

26 Prez linked with Joshua Speed 27 Bentley of “American Beauty” 30 Remarks, slangily 32 Pride member 33 Northern capital 34 Descartes’s conclusion 36 “Chicago”’s Catherine ___-Jones 37 Use your head 38 Well-kept secret, for some 39 Painter Francis 40 Dan Savage memoir, with “The” 41 Bowie collaborator 44 Tracey of “Tracey Takes On” 45 Queerly shy 46 Sand or water, to Sheehan 48 Broadway’s “Thoroughly modern” woman 49 Like Miss Manners 50 Wesley of “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar” 53 Start of a religious title 55 Head attachments 56 It has a fickle finger 57 Don Juan’s mother 58 It can kill the queen of a colony 59 Vintage vehicle 60 “Horny” animal

Find solution to this puzzle at www.pridesource.com